Coimbatore Airport is a customs Airport located in Peelamedu. It was previously known as Coimbatore Civil Aerodrome or Peelamedu Aerodrome. It is about 20 kms from the City Center. It is located along Nillambur and Peelamedu, was Passenger Entry at Nillambur and Cargo Entry at Peelamedu. It is the second largest airport in terms of the passengers movement and also second largest cargo hub in Tamil Nadu.
In 1940's this airport was started for operation as a civil aerodrome, with Indian operation Fokker F27, Douglas DC-3 and Hawker Siddeley's Avro 748. In early days, its services were to Kochi and Bangalore. The first passenger terminal was built at Pellamedu in 1970's and in 1980's the airport was closed down for its runway expansion, to accommodate modern jets like the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. Temporarily, flights were using the nearby Sulur Airbase. In 1987, the airport resumes its operation after completion of the runway expansion and a new terminal. In 1995, Indian Airlines started international services to Sharjah, and in 2007 services to Colombo and Singapore started.
Coimbatore Airport currently has one terminal and one under construction. There are two hangars, one for private carriers and one for the Coimbatore Flying Club. Six aircraft can accommodate in the parking bays in the airport, and the airport also has a fire station. At present, the New Terminal which is at Nillambur is used for Passenger Operations and Old Terminal, which are at Pellamedu is used for Cargo Operations. The Passenger terminal complex consists of the domestic and international terminals interconnected by a building. At present, the airport has one runway, which is of length 9,800 feet, early it was 8,500 feet only. The airport can accommodate Boeing 747 and Airbus A330 because of runway expansion. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) is also installed.
Coimbatore Airport is located on the Avinash Road, which is about 7 kms from Pellamedu Cargo Terminal. The Avinash Road is the main Gateway to Coimbatore City than other arterial roads.
Air Arabia to Sharjah and Silkair to Singapore are the flights available in the International Terminal. Indian Airlines to Delhi, Mumbai and Kozhikode, IndiGo to Chennai, Delhi, Jet Airways to Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai, Jet Lite to Mumbai, Kingfisher Airlines to Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai, Spice Jet to Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai are the flights available in the Domestic Terminal.